FMV Vest

Urban development with a hotel, residents, cinema, and commercial spaces.

Type:

Byutvikling med hotel, boliger, kino og næring

Year:

2020-

Location:

FMV Vest in Fredrikstad, Norway

Contact persons:

Kaja Melbye, Mikkel Haavaldsen

Client:

Selvaag, Jotne

1,350 new homes, a cinema, a hotel, and 70,000 square meters of commercial space will form the core as a new district takes shape at the site of the old Fredrikstad Mekaniske Verksted.

Hille Melbye, together with developers Jotne Eiendom and Selvaag Bolig, will contribute to the development of a rich and vibrant neighborhood with a variety of homes and new amenities for the city’s residents. This is the prime area within the district, which includes a new hotel at the innermost part of the dock, a cinema complex in a transformed welding hall, and the first phase of residential buildings extending from this.

The close connection to the city center, the welding hall, the dock, and the old cranes suggests that the buildings surrounding this Fredrikstad environment should have a strong urban character and a presence that defines Fredrikstad Mekaniske Verksted as a place. The solution to this is not individual buildings each representing groundbreaking residential architecture. Our approach is to work with clarified, yet dissolved block structures, characterized by varied heights, intimate passages, and generous courtyards.

Hille Melbye is banking on a clean and classic architectural style, good building practices, appropriate color schemes, durable materials, and human proportions to tie the buildings together and give the area character. The goal is robust and lasting architecture that attracts people. The hotel’s form frames the cranes, thus contributing to highlighting the industrial history of the area. At the same time, this maintains important sightlines in the city. The cranes are still visible from large parts of Fredrikstad. Additionally, the hotel will be an attractive destination in itself, with rooms and public amenities offering spectacular views.

Illustrations by 3D estate.

Master plan by Studio Oslo Landscape Architects.